| How to Make your
own Matzah
© 2000 Lisa Katz
|
In their hurry to leave Egypt,
the Israelites did not have time to wait for their bread to rise so they made matzah. What
better way to teach your children about the Passover story than to make matzah with them
like the Jewish slaves made matzah thousands of years ago.
Difficulty Level: average
Time Required: 45 minutes
Here's How:
- Oven: Put the oven through a full self-cleaning cycle to make it kosher for Passover.
- Ingredients needed: 1) cold water from the faucet 2) special flour called kemach shel
matzah shamura (flour watched from the moment of harvest to the moment of packing to make
sure it has not come into contact with any moisture).
- Utensils needed: 1) measuring cups 2) large bowl for dough 4) roll of paper 4) rolling
pin 5) tool for making holes in the dough 6) tiles for lining oven shelf 7) peel - flat
metal plate with a handle for taking the matza out of the oven. All utensils should
be kosher for Passover.
- Prepare the oven by lining the oven shelf with floor tiles. Leave some space between the
tiles and the sides of the oven.
- Set oven on highest temperature setting.
- Place clean paper on work surface and prepare utensils.
- At this point, the clock starts to tick. There must be no more than 18 minutes from the
time the water is mixed with the flour until the time the matzah is put into the oven.
- Depending on how many matzot you want, measure 1 part water and 3 parts flour.
- Quickly mix and knead into a firm ball of 1-2 inches.
- Roll out dough as thin as possible.
- Poke holes in the dough.
- Check to make sure no more than 18 minutes passed since the flour and water were mixed.
Put matzah onto the tiles in the hot oven.
- Bake on tiles for 2-3 minutes until done.
- Remove using the peel.
- Put clean paper on the work surface, and repeat steps 7-14.
Tips:
- It is best to have a few people
working together when making matzah. Have one person do the mixing and the kneading,
another person rolling out the dough, and the last person putting the matza into the oven.
- This can be a fun activity to do
the afternoon before the Seder. However, while having fun, make certain the matzah you are
making is kosher for Passover. No more than 18 minutes can pass from the time the flour
and water are mixed and the time the matzah dough is put into the oven.
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